Is premature birth a risk factor for metabolic syndrome?

The metabolic phenotype of the young adult born preterm

Thousands of babies are born more than two months early each year in the UK, and thanks to modern medicine, over 90% will survive. Research suggests they may be more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of obesity, high blood pressure and sugar in young adult life, which gives a greater risk of stroke and heart disease. Professor Neena Modi and colleagues have been awarded a grant to study the long term health consequences of premature birth and whether it is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome. They will compare healthy young adults born prematurely and at full-term, assessing body composition, blood pressure, and blood biochemistry. They will use state-of-the-art techniques to analyse thousands of chemicals, produced by the body, found in blood and urine. They hope to reveal if premature birth predisposes a baby to the development of the metabolic syndrome later in life and, if so, which biological systems are involved. The work could potentially identify ‘specific chemicals in the blood or urine that could be measured to detect disease earlier and predict later disease risk. Ultimately, this work will help doctors provide the best follow-up care after premature birth, and pave the way for research testing treatments for newborns that could improve their long term health.